


run dry

by tiffaniesblews



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Drinking Games, F/F, Femslash February, Korra POV, Korra is a useless bisexual, Wu is a wingman, so is Mako
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29449935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffaniesblews/pseuds/tiffaniesblews
Summary: There are five steps to take when it comes to drinking around the girl you might be in love with:1. Drink2. Make mistakes3. Pretend you don't remember4. Drink a little more5. Run dryAfter going through the first two steps, Korra must figure out a way to relax around Asami Sato. But what happens if she relaxes just a little... too much.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 228





	1. step one: drink

**Author's Note:**

> Okay SO, this is my first time writing Korrasami and I'm AMPED about it.
> 
> I got the idea for this fic after listening to Patrick Stump's "Run Dry (X Heart X Fingers)", but I wasn't sure about the couple until today. The song is... pretty much what you think it might be and I highly suggest giving it a listen to. 
> 
> Anyways! Do enjoy! (PS, it's been a hot minute since I played beer pong so if the rules are off... no they're not ❤️)

Korra stood in the corner of the cramped living room, gripping a plastic cup in her hand as she looked around the room warily. Music reverberated against the walls, causing the pictures on the wall to shake with every vibration. Though there weren’t  _ that  _ many people present, Korra still felt that sense of suffocation she usually got whenever she was at a party she didn’t want to be present for. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t  _ enjoy  _ being at her ex-boyfriend’s apartment with all of their friends, it was more that she didn’t enjoy the looks of pity people kept throwing her way whenever they looked over at her pushed up against the wall, the cup in her hand slightly squashed even though there was quite a bit of alcohol still left over.

Her eyes lingered towards the middle of the room where Bolin and Opal were playing beer pong against Opal’s twin brothers, Wei and Wing. She watched as Opal threw the ping pong ball with a flick of her wrist, the way the ball arched over the table and fell neatly into one of the cups on her brothers’ side. Bolin grabbed Opal’s face and brought her in for a celebratory kiss as Wei (or Wing, she wasn’t actually sure which) groaned and took a drink from his cup. 

“You can at least  _ pretend  _ you’re happy to be here,” came a voice to her right. Korra turned to see Mako sidling up to her, leaning against the wall next to her as he raised an eyebrow at her in amusement. 

“Oh, I am happy to be here,” Korra retorted, taking a sip of her drink. She gagged slightly as Opal had added a bit too much tequila to her tequila sunrise, but she didn’t complain. “It’s  _ you  _ I’d rather not be around.”

Mako placed a hand against his heart in mock offense. “Korra? Surely, not I? The man who  _ lives  _ here?”

Korra scoffed. “You and Bolin share, don’t make it like it’s all you.”

“Korra, really?” Mako asked, pushing himself off the wall and standing in front of her. “I’m really trying here.”

“No, no, I know,” Korra sighed, glancing away from him to see Opal sink yet another ball in a cup. “I’m sorry, ever since the breakup, things have been….”

“Awkward?” Mako offered, raising his eyebrow once again. “Yeah, I get it. We didn’t really end on the best foot, and that’s my fault.”

“No, it’s mine too,” Korra stated, waving her free hand at him. “I didn’t tell you what was wrong when I was upset.”

“And I was an immature jerk who just expected you to always be on the same page,” Mako added, shrugging his shoulder at her. “Listen, Korra, I’m sorry again, but can you just  _ act  _ like you’re happy to be here?”

“Well, to do that, it seems like I need to drink more.” With that, Korra lifted her cup to her mouth and downed the rest of her drink, feeling the way the tequila burned as it went down. 

“Damn.” Mako whistled. “Good for you.”

“I’m going to get more,” she told him, pushing herself off the wall and walking past him, brushing his shoulder as she did. Though she told herself not to, she glanced behind her to see Mako watching her, a hurt look in his eyes. 

Pushing her feelings down, Korra navigated her way to the kitchen, folding her arms against herself to avoid brushing up against anyone else. Again, it wasn’t that she hated parties, it was the way they made her feel so small in such a big world. With every drop of the bass, her heart pounded in her chest, sending an ache in her ribs. 

The last drink she had was strong, but not strong enough to completely inebriate her so that she lost her senses. She felt the alcohol thrum through her veins, trying to act like the liquid courage that she must have so desperately needed. 

Shaking her head, she finally pushed her way into the kitchen, approaching the counter where Opal’s older brother, Huan, was standing staring at the drinks lined along the edge. 

“What do you suggest?” Korra asked him, stepping up next to him. 

Huan turned to her, a finger on his chin as he considered her thoughtfully. “Whatever makes this party end as quickly as possible.”

Korra laughed. “You and me both, buddy. What’s with you?”

“Opal seems to think that I need to get out of the house more,” Huan explained, rolling his eyes. “So she drags me to her boyfriend’s party as a way to get me to socialize with my peers.”

“She’s just looking out for you,” Korra stated, clapping Huan on the back. “That’s what sisters do, isn’t it?”

“Hm,” Huan hummed.

That’s as far as he got though, because suddenly a cheer came from the living room, causing both Korra and Huan to turn and look towards the commotion. 

“I wonder if Opal and Bolin finally won,” Korra commented, making her way towards the living room. 

But no one’s attention was on the beer pong players, but instead on a girl who was making her way from the front door, stripping off her coat as she did. 

Asami Sato, Mako’s girlfriend before Korra. Everytime Korra saw Asami, her heart pounded in her chest and her palms got all sweaty and her brain short circuited so that she forgot how to speak. At first, she thought it was due to jealousy over the fact that Asami dated Mako when Korra had a crush on him. But once Asami and Mako broke up, and Korra got together with Mako, the butterflies barely subsided. 

Shaking her head, she went back to Huan, leaning back against the kitchen counter, her elbows holding her in place.

“It’s just Asami they’re all cheering for,” she told him, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach once more. 

Huan nodded and grabbed a bottle of vodka, holding it up to Korra for consideration. It wasn’t the best brand, some cheap type that Bolin probably chose to save money, but, hey, if got her drunker quicker, Korra would happily drink anything. She shot Huan a thumbs up and he got to work making her drink; though Korra probably should have watched him, she knew she could trust Huan.

Another cheer roared and Mako was making his way into the kitchen, tossing his beer can in the recycling bin on the ground by the counter. 

“Did they win?” Korra asked, taking the cup that Huan handed to her. 

“Yep,” Mako replied, opening the fridge and grabbing another beer. Again, cheap brand, but they were on a budget. 

Korra took a drink of the concoction that Huan made for her, grimacing slightly at the amount of vodka he had added, but she thanked him nonetheless. Huan gave her a small nod and sauntered out of the kitchen, his own drink in hand.

“This is gross,” Korra told Mako, taking another sip of the drink. “But, shit, I bet this will get me drunk.”

“Korra, don’t push yourself,” Mako warned, opening his beer then sipping the froth on top. 

Korra shrugged, still drinking from her cup. 

Bolin burst into the kitchen, arms up in victory as he looked at his brother. “I am the champion!” 

“Opal did most of the work,” Mako retorted, opening the fridge and grabbing another beer, tossing it to Bolin who caught it easily. 

“Sure, but I helped,” Bolin claimed, opening the drink and copying Mako by sipping the froth off the top. He spotted Korra at the counter and broke out into a toothy grin. “Korra!! Are you hiding?!”

“Yep,” Korra deadpanned, feeling her grip tighten on the cup and Bolin approached her. 

“ _ Korra _ , you are not allowed to be a sour puss at my party!” Bolin whined, pouting at Korra. “Come on, Opal and I are going to go again, and we need a pair to face! You and Mako can play!”

“Oh no, you’re not making me play with your brother,” Korra stated, wagging a finger at Bolin, who just pouted some more. “Bolin, I would rather wallow in self pity in the kitchen by myself, nursing this horrid drink Huan made for me than be out there surrounded by people.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mako roll his eyes and walk out of the kitchen, beer still in his hand. She turned her attention to Bolin once again.

“I’m here for  _ you _ , buddy, I promise,” she assured him. “But I need to just… loosen up a bit, okay?”

“Korra, you’re not going to have fun if you stay here,” Bolin told her, shaking his head. “Okay, what if you versed Opal and I with someone else?”

“Like who?” Korra asked, knitting her brows together as she studied Bolin. 

He placed a finger to his chin in thought, his brows furrowed in concentration. “Well, there’s Kuvira, but she can be terrifying when she loses, so maybe not her. I could put you with one of the twins, but they just played and they’re always a team. Wu’s fun, but his hand eye coordination is iffy.  _ Maybe  _ Huan would play, considering you guys were just in here bonding…”

Korra scoffed. “All great options.”

“Wait!” Bolin said, motioning with his hand and looking at Korra. “I got it! What about Asami?”

“Oh, uh,” Korra stammered, feeling her face flush. “I, uh, nah, I don’t know.”

Bolin grabbed her free hand with his, squeezing it tight. “What, you think she hates you because you dated Mako after her? Definitely not!”

“I mean, that’s not it,” Korra muttered, but it was too late. Before she knew it, Bolin was pulling her away from the counter, out of the kitchen, and into the living room. 

Gripping the cup in her hand, she felt Bolin tug her, dragging her towards Asami who was chatting amicably with Opal, her own drink in hand. 

“Hi, Asami!” Bolin exclaimed, still gripping Korra’s hand in his. “Look who I found hiding in the kitchen!”

Asami beamed when her eyes fell on Bolin and Korra. “Hi guys! Korra, it’s so good to see you!”

“Yeah, yeah, you too,” Korra muttered, feeling herself flush again. To avoid making eye contact with Asami, she took another large gulp of her drink, shuddering as it made its way through her system. 

“Korra said she would verse us in beer pong,” Bolin told Opal, causing Korra to step down on his foot,  _ hard _ . He winced ever so slightly, but didn’t say anything.

“Really!” Opal beamed. “Great! Who are you playing with?” 

“Well, that’s funny, because -” Korra started, but Bolin interrupted her.

“Asami, would you play with Korra?” he asked, addressing Asami with a small bow towards her. 

Asami laughed, a light, fluttery laugh that caused Korra to almost have heart palpitations. “Sure! Sounds like fun, right, Korra?”

“Yeah, so fun,” Korra replied, trying to keep her voice even as Opal clapped her hands together. 

“Great! It’s settled!” she exclaimed, making her way towards the pong table. “Let’s set up.”

Korra groaned, but followed Asami towards their side of the table, setting the cups up in formation. She looked up, making eye contact with Mako who just held his beer up to her as a way to wish her luck. Instead of being mature, she stuck her tongue out at him, earning her a chuckle in response. 

“Hey, you ready?” Asami asked, elbowing Korra in the ribs. “How drunk are you?”

“Not drunk enough,” Korra admitted, shaking her head. “You?”

“I just got here,” Asami said lightly, looking at the drink in her hand. “Wei handed whatever this is to me and told me to catch up.”

“How about we both down these drinks and see what happens?” Korra suggested, holding up her cup in front of her. Asami grinned, tapping her cup against Korra’s. 

Together, both girls raised their cups to their lips, downing their drinks as quickly as possible. Wei and Wing cheered on the sidelines, causing Korra to pick up her pace. She finished her drink first, slamming the cup down on the table with finality as she watched Asami finish her own. Korra stared at her, her collarbone just visible through her shirt, the way her v-neck was just deep enough to show some of her cleavage. If she hadn’t been acutely aware of her actions, Korra would have gaped at the older girl a bit longer, but when Asami finished her drink, she held the cup in the air triumphantly, a grin on her face. 

“Nailed it,” Korra commented, watching as Asami placed her cup on the coffee table that was shoved to the side. “Very impressive.”

“Let’s see if that worked,” Asami stated, poking her fingers in the pong cups, scooping out the two ping pong balls and passing one to Opal on the other side. 

“Yeah, let’s,” Korra repeated, eyes still on Asami as she lined up her shot, making eye contact with Opal. 

At the count of three, Opal and Asami released their balls at the same time, Opal’s flying over the end of the table, but Asami’s sinking into one of the cups.

“Damn!” Opal exclaimed, scooping the ball out. “Okay, you two first.” 

The ball bounced on the table towards Korra, who caught it. 

“Blow,” Asami said, holding out the ping pong ball in her hand towards Korra. 

“Excuse me?” Korra replied, blinking at Asami.

Asami grinned, holding her hand out further. “For luck. Just blow on the ball.” 

“I have… never heard of that, but okay, you’re the expert, I guess.” Looking back up at Asami, Korra blew on the ball gently, and as soon as she did, Asami’s fingers curled around the ball. 

“Great, thanks!” Asami turned, and with the flick of the wrist and threw the ball, watching as it sunk into one of the middle cups with ease. 

“Holy shit,” Korra commented, patting Asami on the shoulder. “That was impressive.”

Bolin and Opal both groaned on the other side, and Opal took a sip of her drink. As she did, Bolin just pat her shoulder in response.

“Your turn,” Asami smirked, stepping aside for Korra. 

Taking a breath, Korra closed her eyes and threw, not even checking to see whether or not the ball landed. She heard the  _ splish  _ of water, and Wei and Wing yelling in the background. Opening her eyes, Asami grabbed her shoulder, shaking her back and forth in excitement. 

“Korra! That was amazing!” Asami cheered, throwing an arm around Korra. 

Groaning, Opan removed the cup as Bolin drank his beer. 

“Hey, balls back!” Asami called over, motioning with her hands in a way that said ‘come on, bring it’. 

“Bolin’s got no balls!” Wei, maybe Wing, called, causing those in the room to woop in reply. 

“Hey!” Bolin pouted, but Opal just gave his arm an affectionate squeeze before passing the balls down the table.

Mako made his way through the crowd, two beers in his hand. He approached Korra and Asami, handing one to each of them. “Kick his ass for me, will you?”

Asami smirked. “Mako, don’t doubt mine and Korra’s abilities. We’re big girls.”

Mako held his hands up in surrender and back off, grinning as he did. 

Korra glanced at Asami. “I think you’re going to carry this team, honestly.”

“Oh, Korra, don’t doubt your pretty little head, okay?” Asami commented, rubbing one of the ping pong balls between the palms of her hands. She winked at Korra, causing Korra to have even more heart palpitations than she already was. 

Panicking, Korra took a sip of the beer that Mako brought her. 

This was going to be a long night. 


	2. step two: make mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to give a shout out to the wonderful @lumosflies for not only encouraging me to write this fic, but for beta reading the first two chapters. ❤️

Korra and Asami ended up winning three games of beer pong in a row: one against Bolin and Opal, one against Wei and Wing, and one against Mako and Wu. 

By the last game, Korra was so drunk she couldn’t even see straight. Everyone was a tad bit blurry, swimming in front of her so that her head bobbed whenever someone stood in front of her to have a conversation. Still, she was pretty proud of the fact that she could stand up straight, plus she was the reason she and Asami had won the last match of beer pong.

“Ugh, how does  _ more  _ alcohol make your aim that much better?” Mako complained after he drained his beer after Korra made the winning shot. “Alcohol is supposed to weaken your reaction time, not make it stronger!”

“Mako is just mad because his ex-girlfriends paired up and beat him at his own game,” Wu teased, ruffling Mako’s hair affectionately. 

Mako pushed Wu’s hand aside, pouting dramatically as he did. “Shut it, Wu, I’m not bitter about that.”

“Aw, babe, didn’t know you still had feelings,” Asami teased, wrapping an arm around Korra’s waist and pulling her in. “If we had known that, we would have gone softer on you. Right, Korra?”

“Uh, right,” Korra slurred, nodding her head slowly, trying not to focus on Asami’s hand that rested on her hip. “Totally would have… acted like shit.”

Asami laughed, that fluttery laugh again that made Korra almost melt on the spot. No one had been paying attention to Asami and Korra though, as Mako had pulled Wu into a headlock, rubbing his fist on his head in a way that might have been affectionate for Mako, but was seen more as aggressive. Still laughing, Asami removed her arm from around Korra and began cheering Mako on as Wu tried to pull himself away. Korra just continued staring at Asami, her mouth suddenly dry.

“Hey, Korra?” Behind her, someone placed a hand on Korra’s back, causing her to turn around carefully so that she wouldn’t trip over her own two feet. Opal stood there, her brows furrowed as she watched Korra. “You doing okay? You had a lot to drink.”

“Fine,” Korra replied, waving her hand, stumbling ever so slightly, but enough for Opal to place another steadying hand on Korra’s shoulder. “Maybe, like, a little bit drunk.” 

Opal shook her head, hands tightening on Korra’s shoulders. “Maybe you should go sit down, take a break.”

“Come on, Korra, let’s go sit,” Asami said from behind her, giving Opal a kind smile and looping her arm through Korra’s. “I got her, Opal. I was her partner, I can take care of her.”

“Asami can take care of me,” Korra repeated, causing Opal to laugh lightly and release Korra’s shoulders. Korra felt herself turn red as Asami led her away from the beer pong table and towards one of the couches in the cramped living room. 

Asami lowered Korra onto the small loveseat, smiling down at her, her eyes sparkling somehow. Can eyes do that?

“Let me get you some water,” Asami commented, leaving Korra alone on the couch and making her way through the crowd of people towards the kitchen. Korra watched her do a tiny skip to avoid tripping over a misplaced chair. 

Suddenly, Bolin collapsed next to Korra, throwing an arm around her and pulling her into him. “Ah, this is the life!”

“Is it?” Korra asked, her vision slightly blurry as she looked at Bolin who had the goofiest grin on his face. “How so?”

“Being surrounded by all your friends who are all slightly different levels of drunk,” Bolin explained, motioning with his hand around the room. 

“Because that’s what life is,” Korra added sarcastically, grabbing Bolin’s hand and removing his arm from around her shoulder. 

“Your hangover is going to suck tomorrow,” Bolin told her, still grinning at her. “You went too hard, too fast.”

Korra waved a hand. “I’m fine. Asami is getting me water.”

“Well that’s nice of her,” Bolin said innocently, leaning back on the couch and placing his hands behind his head. “She always does seem to take care of you, doesn’t she?”

“Excuse me?” Korra asked, blinking at Bolin. “What’s that supposed to mean, I can take care of myself.”

“No, no, not like that!” Bolin exclaimed, shaking his head. “I mean more that she’s always there for you. You guys have gotten closer, that’s all.”

She and Asami had gotten closer? Since when? 

“Bolin, you better not be bothering, Korra.” Asami appeared in front of them, two bottles of water in her hand, an amused eyebrow raised at Bolin. 

“No way, Asami! Just making small talk!” Bolin told her, pushing himself off the couch and moving aside. “I’ll let you get back to taking care of Ms. Drunky Pants here.”

“Thanks, Bolin,” Asami said, sitting next to Korra and handing her a bottle of water. Bolin shot her a thumbs up before walking away, hollering for Opal in the crowd. 

Korra looked at the water bottle in her hands, staring down at the label and trying to read what it said. The words looked like gibberish, and how in Spirit’s name was she supposed to open this thing?

“Korra?” Asami asked, her own water bottle raised to her lips as she watched Korra. “Are you okay?”

“Totally, okay.” Korra swallowed, placing a hand on the cap and twisting, breathing a sigh of relief when she successfully opened the bottle in her drunken state. She would have been extremely embarrassed if she had to have Asami open the water bottle for her, and she was not ready to face that yet. 

Asami gave her another encouraging smile before continuing to drink own water, her eyes scanning the slowly dissipating crowd. It was about one in the morning, and people were starting to leave, calling out to each other in goodbyes. Only a few people were staying the night, Korra included, but she assumed that Asami was also given permission to stay. 

“Are you?” Korra asked, turning to Asami, her water bottle still full.

“Am I what?” Asami asked, placing her water bottle down and raising a thin eyebrow at Korra. 

Korra licked her lips, realizing her blunder in that she had not provided context to her question to Asami. “Are you staying the night? I know some of us are, and considering you’re you…”

Asami laughed. “Yes, I’m staying the night. Are you?”

Korra nodded, staring into Asami’s bright green eyes. They were really pretty.  _ She  _ was really pretty.

“Great! But can you drink some water?” Asami told her, placing a hand on Korra’s and raising it towards Korra’s face so that the top of the bottle hit her chin. “You’re going to regret not having water tomorrow morning when you wake up with a pounding headache.”

“Oh. Sure.” Korra did as she was told, taking a long drink of water as Asami watched her, nodding in approval. 

Asami crossed her legs, leaning back on the couch as Bolin had done earlier, looking around the room which suddenly looked a lot messier now that it was practically empty. Crushed cups littered the ground, some smaller spills on the hardwood floor. Bolin and Mako were already hard at work picking up the trash, Opal holding a trash bag open for them.

“Let me help,” Asami offered, handing her water bottle to the unsuspecting Korra and standing up. 

Before Bolin or Mako could refuse, Asami made her way to and from the kitchen, paper towels in hand. She got on her knees, scrubbing at the spilled drink on the floor. Wu sauntered past the four people cleaning, making his way towards Korra. 

“Hey, Korra,” he said, sitting down next to her, pressing himself close to her as he did. Wu was always trying to flirt with her, even though she always shot down his advances. At this point though, he knew she wasn’t interested, but it was part of his personality and Korra had learned to accept it.

“Hi, Wu,” she replied, bringing her water to her lips as she focused on Asami still cleaning the floor. From where she was sitting, Korra had a great view of Asami’s - 

“Enjoying the night?” Wu asked, placing an elbow on Korra’s shoulder and fluttering his eyelashes at her flirtatiously. 

“Mhm,” Korra hummed, still not looking away from Asami. 

Wu followed Korra’s line of sight, grinning widely when he realized where Korra was looking. “Korra, you  _ dog _ !”

“Hm, what?!” Korra exclaimed, tearing her eyes away from Asami and looking over at Wu, feeling her face flush with embarrassment. “I wasn’t doing anything!”

“Oh, you have it  _ bad _ ,” Wu teased, poking Korra’s side, causing Korra to roll her eyes and scoot further away from Wu.

“I don’t have anything,” Korra retorted. “I just… spaced out, that’s all.”

“You were staring,” Wu told her, poking her side again. 

“No, I was not!” Korra exclaimed angrily, tempted to pour her bottle of water over Wu’s head. 

Wu moved away, putting his hands up in surrender. “You know, I’m sure if you go for it, she’ll say yes.”

“I’m too drunk for this conversation,” Korra stated, lifting her leg and kicking Wu away from her. He fell dramatically from the couch, placing the back of his hand to his forehead and moaning. “Oh, shut up, Wu.”

Asami had come back, wiping her hands from the cleaning. Once she spotted Wu on the floor, she placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. 

“Korra  _ pushed  _ me Asami,” Wu moaned dramatically, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Korra’s leg. “Can you believe it?  _ Me! _ ”

“Yes, I believe it,” Asami replied, nudging Wu’s ribs with her foot. “Whatever you did or said, you probably deserved it.”

“All I said was the Korra has a -” Wu started, but Korra kicked him, again, causing Wu to let out a small whimper in pain. “Okay, okay, I deserved it.”

“That’s what I thought,” Asami replied, turning to focus on Korra. “Come on you, Mako said we can have his room and he’ll crash on the couch.”

“What about me!” Wu whined, still on the floor as Asami took the water bottles out of Korra’s hands so she could stand up. “Where am I supposed to sleep?”

“Either on the other couch or spoon with Mako,” Asami replied, placing the water bottles on a nearby coffee table and taking Korra’s hand in hers. 

Korra allowed Asami to pull her away from Wu who sat on the floor crossing his arms angrily as he muttered about not having a bed to sleep in. Asami easily found her way towards Mako’s room, and with a small pang, Korra realized that Asami had  _ also  _ been in there multiple times. 

“Weird, Mako letting his ex-girlfriends sleep in his bedroom together,” Korra commented nonchalantly, feeling her stomach churn that had nothing to do from the alcohol in her system. 

Asami shrugged. “Not really. He’s still so awkward about it, though, isn’t he?” 

“Sure,” Korra agreed as they paused in the hallway in front of Mako’s room. “But - uh, I don’t know if I ever apologized.”

Asami’s hand on the doorknob, she glanced back at Korra, confused. “For what?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Korra answered, feeling herself go hot. 

“Well, then, you’re forgiven,” Asami stated happily, opening the door to Mako’s room and ushering Korra inside. 

Of course, Mako’s room still looked the same: twin bed pushed up against the wall, a small desk with his laptop closed on top, drawers hanging open in his dresser. The only decoration was the picture of him, Bolin, and their parents that sat on the small nightstand by his bed. 

Asami let go of Korra’s hand and made her way to the window on the opposite side, closing the blinds so that the moon no longer shone in the room. Korra just stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, one arm crossed over stomach as she held her opposite arm with her hand. She watched as Asami made her way to the bed, pulling back the sheets before turning to face Korra.

“You coming?” Asami asked, sitting on the bed and pulling her boots off, throwing them to the side. 

Unlike Korra who was wearing a pair of jeans, Asami was wearing a thick pair of black leggings so she would be comfortable in bed. While Korra  _ had  _ brought a bag with a change of clothes in it, that bag happened to be out in the hallway probably hidden somewhere and Korra knew for a fact that she had no energy or focus to look through discarded jackets to find it. 

“Well?” Asami sang, sitting further on the bed so that her back was against the wall, her feet dangling off the side. 

“I, uh, left my pajamas in my bag,” Korra explained, rooted on the spot. “And I don’t think I’ll be able to find my bag because I am seeing double.”

Asami lifted her eyebrows. “Okay, that’s fine.”

“I’m in jeans,” Korra continued, lifting a leg for Asami to see. “They’re going to be uncomfortable to sleep in.”

“I see,” Asami replied, sliding off the bed and making her way towards Mako’s dresser. Opening a drawer, she said, “I’m sure Mako won’t mind if you borrow a pair of sweatpants.”

Korra watched as Asami shuffled through Mako’s drawer, her long hair thrown over one shoulder as she muttered to herself. To stop herself from staring, Korra reached up and grabbed the bottom of her own, shorter hair, tugging it slightly. 

“Aha!” Asami turned around, a pair of Mako’s flannel sweatpants in her hand and a triumphant grin on her face. “Knew he would still have these!”

Asami tossed Korra the pair of red and black flannels; to her surprise, Korra caught them easily. 

“Like I said, I’m sure he won’t mind,” Asami commented, making her way back to the bed and sitting once more. 

Korra still stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, the flannels in her outstretched hand. When Asami raised an eyebrow, Korra opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth felt dry.

“Are you okay?” Asami asked, with a look a concern. “You’re not going to be sick are you?” 

Korra shook her head, trying to find her voice. “Uh, I’m fine. I just need to change.”

“Okay, go ahead.” Asami just moved further onto the bed, sliding herself back against the wall once more. 

Clearing her throat, Korra looked around to find somewhere to change. Suddenly, she felt shy in front of Asami, though the older girl wasn’t paying much attention, just scrolling through her phone that she had tugged out of her waistband. When she was sure Asami wasn’t looking, Korra kicked off her sneakers and unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down, kicking them off quickly. She was just pulling the flannels up when Asami looked back up at her, a small grin on her face.

“Great, they fit!” Asami exclaimed, locking her phone and placing it on the bed next to her. “Better?”

“Yeah, much,” Korra sighed, kicking her jeans and shoes aside and finally making her way over to the bed. 

With a tiny pat of her hand, Asami motioned for Korra to join her on the bed. Taking a breath, Korra joined Asami, sitting next to her up against the wall. Thankfully, the room was no longer spinning and Korra could finally only see  _ one  _ Asami as opposed to two. Though, now that she thought about it, she wished she could see more of Asami. 

“You’re staring,” Asami commented, placing a hand on Korra’s knee. 

“What?” Korra blinked. “Oh, uh, I just realized that I’m no longer seeing double, that’s all.”

Asami laughed. “Oh, good! Maybe the hangover won’t hurt that badly tomorrow then, huh?”

“How are you not drunk?” Korra blurted out, causing Asami to smirk. “You had just as much as me, didn’t you?”

“Maybe, but I paced myself,” Asami replied, scooting closer to Korra, her hand still on Korra’s knee. “I had to watch your pretty head, didn’t I?”

Was Asami flirting? She was definitely flirting, wasn’t she? Or was she just teasing? Or maybe she secretly hated Korra after everything that’s happened between them and Mako and this was her way of getting revenge!

“Korraaaaa,” Asami sang again. “You’re still staring.”

“You’re just really beautiful,” Korra blurted, inwardly groaning at herself as Asami smiled. 

“Thanks, so are you,” Asami replied easily, her smile widening. 

Unable to stop herself, Korra leaned forward, pressing her lips against Asami’s. At first, Asami flinched before kissing Korra back, her lips soft against Korra’s. Korra’s hand found its way to Asami’s cheek, bringing her in to deepen the kiss. 

Suddenly, Asami pulled back, scooting backwards to look at Korra.

“Korra, what - I -” Asami started, but Korra spoke at the same time.

“Asami, I - I’m sorry - I think I misread -”

Asami moved off the bed, grabbing her phone as she did. Korra felt her heart sink, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as Asami stood in front of her, arms crossed across her chest. 

“I - uh - need to use the bathroom,” Asami told Korra, not giving Korra enough time to respond before making her way out the room, closing the door gently behind her.

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Korra said outloud, hitting her hand against the mattress. “Nice going, Korra.” 

* * *

Out in the hallway, Asami leaned up against the wall, arms still crossed in front of her. 

Korra  _ kissed  _ her. And Asami, stupid Asami, pulled away from her. It wasn’t like Asami hadn’t been flirting with Korra, because she most definitely was, it was more that, for some small reason, she wasn’t expecting Korra to reciprocate. After all, after everything that happened with Mako, she was sure Korra hated her.

Groaning, Asami pushed herself off the wall and went into the living room where Wu was stretched out on the bigger of the two couches, and Mako was squashed on the small loveseat. Wu was sound asleep, snoring heavily with his mouth open as Mako scrolled through his phone. When he heard her footsteps approaching, Mako looked up and spotted Asami making her way over to him.

“Hey, Asami,” he said, sitting up to make room for Asami who sat by his feet, burying her face in her hands without explanation. Mako clicked his tongue, placing a hand on her back. “What happened?”

“So stupid,” she muttered into her hands so that Mako could barely hear her. Mako just patted her back sympathetically.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked her, adjusting so that he was now sitting next to her. “Uh, only if you want to, I guess.”

Asami looked up at him, his gold eyes boring into her with curiosity. “You’re going to make fun of me.”

“Try me,” Mako stated, raising his eyebrows at her. “Asami, you can talk to me about anything, I promise.”

“You won’t judge?” Asami asked him, sitting up straight to look at him. 

Mako placed a hand on his chest, raising his opposite hand besides him. “Promise.”

Asami bit her lip. “Korra kissed me.”

“Woah, what!” Mako exclaimed, eyebrows going even higher. 

“You promised not to judge!” Asami exclaimed, shoving his shoulder. 

“I’m not!” he replied, grabbing Asami’s hand. “When did this happen?”

“Like… two minutes ago?” Asami answered, pulling her hand away from Mako.

“And you’re here now?” Mako asked, confused. “Why?” 

“Because she’s  _ drunk _ ,” Asami told him loudly. Wu grunted in his sleep, causing Asami and Mako to tense up for fear of waking him, but he just rolled over and continued snoring deeply. Both let out a sigh of relief.

“Okay, so she’s drunk,” Mako said quietly. “Explain your thought process here.”

“I- well - she doesn’t know what she’s doing,” Asami explained. “Or she just  _ did it  _ because she has no control or -”

“Or, she has a giant crush on you and she wanted to kiss you,” Mako finished, shaking his head at Asami. “Asami, please, it’s  _ super  _ obvious how she feels about you.”

Asami felt herself flush. “She does not.”

“And,” Mako continued, placing a hand on Asami’s shoulder, “you’ve kind of been flirting with her the whole night.”

“Well, I mean - she - I don’t know,” Asami stammered, face in her hands once more as she groaned. 

“So you think she didn’t  _ mean  _ to kiss you?” Mako asked, squeezing Asami’s shoulder.

“I don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her, that’s all,” Asami commented, raising her head to look at Mako again. He had a small smirk on his face. “What is it, Mako?”

“Just you,” he commented. “I’ve never seen you so worked about anyone. Well, about me I guess.” 

“Shut up,” Asami muttered. “What do I do?”

“Uh, go talk to her maybe?” Mako stated, pushing Asami off the couch so that she landed on the floor. “Just tell her that you’re worried about this going any further because she’s drunk, but that you  _ enjoyed  _ her kissing you.”

“I didn’t say -” Asami started, but Mako just laughed.

“Asami, hate to say it, but I think your crush on her is bigger than her crush on you,” Mako explained, nudging her with his foot. 

Asami got up and crossed her arms in front of her. “Fine, I’ll go talk to Korra.”

“Yeah, go do that,” Mako said, legs up on the couch once more so he could lay down comfortably. “And don’t make a mess of my bed, please.”

“ _ Mako _ !” Asami hissed, grabbing his pillow out from under his head and hitting him with it. He used his hands as a shield, still laughing as Asami continued to him. 

“Go-”  _ smack  _ \- “talk” -  _ smack  _ \- “to Korra!”  _ Smack.  _

Asami threw the pillow at him but walked away, throwing him a nasty look as he kept on laughing. As she walked down the hallway, she tried to think of ways to start this conversation with Korra. 

What does she even say?  _ Hey, Korra, you’re super drunk right now, but I really liked it when you kissed me and I would like you to keep kissing me because you’re really hot and I have a ridiculous sized crush on you that I’ve kept hidden for the past few months.  _

Simple.

But when Asami opened the door, she noticed that Korra was wrapped up in the blankets, lying pushed up against the wall, fast asleep. 

_ Well, there was always tomorrow morning,  _ Asami thought to herself as she walked over to the bed and climbed in, being sure to give Korra plenty of room. 


	3. step three: pretend you don't remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you haven't picked up on it yet, each step refers what happens in the chapter. So, don't be surprised by the choices our favorite disaster bi makes.

Korra woke up exactly as everyone else had predicted: with a pounding headache on top of a mouth that tasted like a flying lemur crawled into it and died. Not only that, but she woke up with her face pressed up against the wall, her arms pressed into her chest, and her neck extremely sore. 

Groaning, Korra rolled onto her back, stretching her arms up above her as a way to loosen the tightened muscles. She closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the fact that it felt like she was currently on a very rocky boat ride, trying to figure out if she was actually alive or dead. Since she wasn’t paying attention though, her hand hit something next to her that made a soft grunt. Turning her head, Korra spotted Asami fast asleep next to her, her mouth open as she breathed evenly. 

How the hell did she look beautiful when she was asleep? Well, that’s not fair at all. 

A piece of hair had fallen over Asami’s eyes, and Korra was tempted to swipe it away, but she felt frozen on the spot. She continued staring at Asami, the way her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. Asami sniffed in her sleep, rolling over onto her back without waking up. 

Korra finally tore her eyes away from the other girl and sat up as gently as she could, her skull feeling like it was full of rocks. Placing a hand to her head, Korra sighed, unsure of what to do. Truth be told, she did not like the taste of dead animal in her mouth, so she figured the best course of action would be to get out of bed and go brush her teeth. Her only issue was that she had no idea how to get out of bed without waking up Asami.

Slowly, Korra pushed the comforter off of her, climbing out from under the sheets as she did. When she was free of the coverings, Korra lifted her body with her hands and feet, crab walking towards the end of the bed so that she could slide off the end without having to climb over Asami. 

Somehow, her plan worked, and Korra’s feet hit the floor with a small  _ thump _ , but not loud enough to even cause Asami to stir. With a sigh of relief, Korra found her jeans on the floor, pulling her phone out of the pocket to check the time: 7:30. Not only that, but she had a few messages from her parents from the night before. Both parents wished her well and to have fun, telling her to make sure to make good choices.

_ Yeah, good choices,  _ Korra thought to herself as her head continued to pound. 

Taking her phone and jeans with her, Korra went out into the hallway, closing the door as quietly as she could. Her toothbrush and toothpaste were in her overnight bag, which she dropped off by the front door as soon as she had arrived at the apartment only to be covered in discarded jackets in shoes the previous night. Luckily for Korra, finding her bag this morning did not seem as gigantic as a task previous night Korra had made it out to be when she and Asami were getting ready for bed. 

Bag in hand, Korra tiptoed to the bathroom so she wouldn’t wake Wu and Mako who were both asleep on their respective couches, Wu snoring loudly as he slept. Korra couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that even Wu’s snores were obnoxious. 

In the bathroom, Korra sifted through her bag to find her small makeup bag that was filled with her bathroom products. First thing’s first, she found a scrunchy, putting her short hair up in a pathetic excuse of a ponytail. She grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, and face wash. She wasn’t about to let her friends see her all greasy at 7:30 in the morning, even if they were some of her best friends.

Halfway through brushing her teeth, she remembered what happened the night before: she had kissed Asami. 

Wincing, she pulled her toothbrush out of her mouth, spitting the toothpaste in the sink. 

“Fuck,” Korra said out loud, tapping her hand on the bathroom counter angrily. She was hoping all the alcohol would let her forget about her stupid mistake.

Not only that, but she was hoping that she would forget about the fact that not only had she kissed Asami, but Asami pulled away so quickly she ran out of the room. 

“Ugh,” Korra groaned, washing her toothbrush and rinsing out her mouth. 

She was so sure that Asami was mad at her, but Asami still came back to bed. Maybe she felt bad for leaving Korra all alone drunk in bed. 

Well, Korra woke up hungover, but  _ now  _ she was hungover and upset. She vigorously scrubbed at her face with her face wash before putting everything back in her bag. When she felt somewhat refreshed, she rustled through her bag again, pulling out a more comfortable sports bra and loose t-shirt to change in. Mako’s sweatpants were comfortable, so she decided to keep them on, shoving her jeans into the bag after her makeup bag.

When she finally felt like a human, she left the bathroom and went to drop her bag back next to the doorway once more. She heard someone moving around in the kitchen and decided to investigate, finding Bolin whistling as he looked through the fridge.

“Hey, Bolin,” Korra said, feeling her head throb.

Bolin moved his face away from the fridge, looking at Korra and grinning widely. “Hey! Korra!”

“Ouch, Bolin,” Korra winced, placing a hand to her head. “You’re so loud.”

“Ah, see, told you that hangover was going to hit you hard,” Bolin commented, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a water. 

Korra made her way to the counter, turning around and lifting herself onto it to sit, her legs dangling off the edge, kicking the cabinets. Bolin handed her the water, leaning against the counter next to her as she opened it. 

“Need anything else?” he asked her, elbowing her in the ribs. “We have Advil, Tylenol, Gatorade, coffee, anything else that can cure a hangover.”

“Maybe some Advil and a Gatorade?” Korra asked after taking a small sip of her water. “But no blue Gatorade, please, I still can’t drink that flavor.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you mix too much vodka in your mixer and then drink it too fast!” Bolin exclaimed, pushing himself off the counter and heading back towards the fridge. As he opened the door, he continued, “Throwing up after drinking too much blue Gatorade will definitely ruin your taste for it.”

Korra watched as he rustled through the fridge, finally moving away and holding up a bottle of yellow Gatorade out for Korra to inspect. She shot him a thumbs up and took another sip of her water and Bolin then went to another cabinet, opening the door and poking through the various medical supplies stored inside.

“Why don’t you and Mako keep your medical supplies in the bathroom like normal people?” Korra commented, squinting at Bolin who pulled out a bottle of Advil.

“Because Mako and I are not normal people,” Bolin answered, opening the bottle and pouring out two capsules. He then handed both the Gatorade and the capsules to Korra, who took them gratefully. “I hope Opal wakes up soon, I’m lonely.”

Korra swallowed her pills and took a sip of the Gatorade before turning to Bolin. “Am I not good enough for you?”

“You are!” Bolin assured her, shaking his head. “You’re just too hungover to make good conversation right now.”

“And you and Opal made good conversation last night, I presume?” Korra stated, raising an eyebrow at Bolin, watching him turn bright red as she took another sip of her Gatorade.

“Get your head out of the gutter, Korra,” Bolin stated, still red. “I’ll have you know I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow.”

“Shame,” Korra stated, feeling the pain in her head slowly start to subside. 

Bolin punched her in the arm. “At least I’m not the one with the major hangover right now.”

“Lucky you,” Korra replied coolly, again taking another sip of her Gatorade. “Be honest with me, Bolin, did I act like an idiot last night?”

“Nah,” Bolin replied, waving his hand at her. “You were a little wobbly, but you were good. Why?” 

“Just, you know, making sure I didn’t say anything stupid,” Korra told him, the sudden memory of Asami’s lips against hers overtaking her senses. She still remembered how Asami’s lips tasted like cinnamon, the distinct taste of fire whiskey. 

“Korra, you’re turning bright red,” Bolin observed, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“Am I?” Korra raised her free hand to her cheek, feeling how hot it was. “Ah, just hot I guess.”

Bolin just shrugged. “Okay. Well, I’m going to see if I can wake Opal up. I’m hungry and the diner down the street is calling my name. Would you like to join? We can make it a group breakfast!”

“Uh, if I put anything else in my body besides Gatorade and water, I will puke,” Korra replied, feeling her stomach churn at the thought of fluffy pancakes and waffles drenched in syrup. 

“Suit yourself,” Bolin told her, already walking out the kitchen, leaving Korra alone sitting on the counter.

She gripped the Gatorade in her hand, trying to figure out her next move. She  _ could  _ wake up Asami, see if she remembered what happened the night before. Or, she could wallow in self pity and think about everything she’s ever done wrong in her entire life. Though Korra liked the second option best, she knew that it would not be the best idea. Korra knew at some point she would have to face Asami, but she just wasn’t sure what to say to her. 

Sighing, Korra leapt off the counter, her Gatorade in one hand and the bottle of water in the other, and made her way back to Mako’s room. Better just get this over with now it seemed. 

At the door, she took a deep, steadying breath before carefully opening the door, peeking her head inside to check and see if Asami was still asleep or not. If Asami was still sleeping, Korra would approach the subject later. But, whether luckily or unluckily, Asami was sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone with her brows knit together in concentration. Korra cleared her throat, causing Asami to look up and smile at her.

“Hey! You’re walking!” Asami stated, moving over on the bed for Korra to sit next to her. “When I woke up and you were gone, I feared the worst!”

“All contents that belong in my stomach are still there,” Korra assured her, sitting next to Asami and stretching her legs out in front of her. While Asami stayed under the sheets, Korra decided to sit on top, just in case.

“So, you’re feeling okay?” Asami asked her, tilting her head to the side. 

Korra shrugged. “Oh, no, I feel like pure shit, but I got dressed and have Gatorade to make me feel more human.”

“Good!” Asami smiled at her, placing a hand on Korra’s arm. 

“Uh, here.” Korra handed Asami the water bottle. “I already drank from it, but I thought you would like some.”

“You’re so sweet,” Asami replied, taking the bottle from Korra and taking a large sip. “You know when you wake up and it feels like you swallowed a mouthful of dirt?”

Korra started to laugh, feeling the tension in her shoulders fade away. “Yes! Personally, I think it feels like an animal crawled into my mouth and died, but the dirt analogy is better.”

“Gross,” Asami stated, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “And it’s just that much worse after a night of drinking!”

“I brushed my teeth the second I woke up,” Korra explained. “Could not handle the taste anymore.”

“I don’t blame you!” Asami agreed, pushing the blankets aside and taking her legs out from underneath. “Maybe I should go do that. Is anyone else still awake?”

“Just Bolin so far,” Korra told her, watching as Asami climbed over her, her hand brushing Korra’s leg as she did. 

“Okay, great,” Asami stated, placing the water bottle on the nightstand. “I’ll be back!”

Korra nodded and watched Asami make her way out of the room. This left Korra with a plan to run through any way to bring up what happened last night.

Should she ask Asami if she was mad? No, Asami wasn’t treating her any differently, was she? Maybe Asmai was the one who forgot what happened.

Korra’s phone vibrated in the pocket of Mako’s sweatpants, and Korra fished it out with her free hand. 

**Bolin (7:59am):** you sure you don’t want to come? So far it’s just me, you and Opal who are awake.

**Korra (8:01am):** Asami too. She’s in the bathroom.

**Bolin (8:05am):** Sweet! Then do you guys want to come? Opal and I are heading out.

**Korra (8:07am):** nope, like I said, I like not throwing up. Not sure about Asami though. 

**Bolin (8:10am):** just saw her in the hall, she said she’s all set too. Have fun you two! Wake Mako and Wu up will you?

Korra rolled her eyes and placed her phone back in her pocket. No way was she about to wake up sleeping beauty or Mako. 

Asami appeared a few moments later, though she was still wearing the clothes from the night before. But her hair was now put up in a messy bun, pieces of hair framing her face in front. 

“Ah, I feel real again,” Asami stated, stretching her arms up above her, arching her back slightly as she did. 

“And I’m assuming you’re not as hungover as me?” Korra asked, crossing her legs, resting her elbow on her knee and balancing her chin on her fist. 

“Not even a headache,” Asami replied, giving Korra a cheeky smile. “I told you, I had to watch your pretty head, didn’t I?”

“Did you?” Korra asked, tilting her head towards Asami. She genuinely didn’t remember Asami telling her this. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. “I don’t remember you saying that.”

“Oh,” Asami said, sitting on the bed next to Korra, mirroring Korra’s position and crossing her legs. “Do you remember anything from last night?” 

Korra felt herself flush, but she forced herself to look Asami in the eyes. “Last thing I remember is just after our last round of beer pong. I don’t remember anything else.”

“You don’t remember coming to bed?” Asami asked her, eyes wide, a slight tremble to her voice.

Korra shook her head. “Uh, nope.” And for extra dramatics. “Did I steal these pants from Mako?”

“No, I got them for you,” Asami answered sadly, placing her hands on her knees. “We - we talked a little bit, you don’t remember?”

“No, I really don’t,” Korra said, shrugging her shoulders. “Why, did something happen?” 

Asami blinked, a sad look on her face. If Korra knew anything about Asami, the older girl would lie about what happened in order to save her the from the embarrassment of kissing her without warning

“No, nothing happened,” Asami replied, suddenly getting up off the bed. “I got you the sweatpants, I warned you about being hungover, and then we went to bed.” 

“Okay, great,” Korra replied, feeling ashamed for lying, but at this point she was in too deep. “I’m glad nothing happened.”

“Right,” Asami agreed, wrapping her arms around herself. “Nothing at all.”

“Are we - are we okay?” Korra asked her, staring up at Asami. 

“Yeah, totally,” Asami answered, a little too quickly. “Uh, I’m going to go make myself a cup of coffee. Would you like some?”

“Oh, no, I’m good,” Korra replied, grabbing her Gatorade off the nightstand. “But I can keep you company, if you like?”

Asami sighed, but smiled. “Sure, that would be great. If I wake Wu up, I don’t want to be alone when he yells at me dramatically.”

Korra got up out of bed and followed Asami out to the hallway, down towards the kitchen. 

She  _ knew  _ she shouldn’t have lied to Asami, she  _ knew  _ she should address what happened between them, but Korra was just embarrassed. Asami didn’t say anything, so clearly it didn’t mean anything, right? And, Asami was the one who pulled away, meaning that she didn’t even  _ want  _ to be kissed. Right?

So, really, what was the harm in lying? But the longer Korra pretended she didn’t remember, the more guilt she felt. 

When they got to the kitchen, Mako was already there, standing by the counter in just his t-shirt and boxers, the coffee maker going behind him. He spotted Korra and Asami coming in, giving them a wide grin and a wave.

“Hey ladies!” he said cheerily, though when he spotted his sweatpants on Korra, he pouted. “Hey, you stole my sweatpants.”

“Relax, Mako,” Asami assured him, giving him a small pat on the arm. “Korra needed pants, so I fished some out for her. You don’t mind, do you?”

Mako exchanged a look with Asami, and it was clear to Korra there was some sort of silent conversation happening between them. She watched as Mako’s eyebrows furrowed and Asami shook her head, a sinking feeling in Korra’s gut. Asami told Mako what happened. 

The coffee maker  _ dinged.  _

“No,” Mako said suddenly, turning away from Asami and turning off the coffee maker. “I don’t mind. Asami, mind grabbing some mugs?”

Asami nodded and went to the cabinet, opening it up and taking out two mugs: one for her and one for Mako. 

“So, Korra, you doing okay?” Mako asked as he poured the coffee. Asami was grabbing the milk from the fridge and the sugar from the pantry as he did.

“Just hungover,” Korra replied, eyes on Asami the whole time.

“She doesn’t remember anything after the beer pong game,” Asami added, a strange sort of strain on her voice. “Funny, right, Mako?”

Mako winced. “That… sucks.”

“Sure does,” Asami agreed. 

“Guess I know better, now, right?” Korra said, but the joke clearly fell flat as Mako and Asami exchanged another look. 

Damn, she really shouldn’t keep up this charade. 

“I need to pee,” she blurted, making her way out of the kitchen. “I’ll - I’ll be back.”

She walked away as quickly as she could, but once she reached the hallway, she pressed herself up against the wall in the blind spot, knowing Mako and Asami couldn’t see her. She opened the bathroom door and then shut it, pretending she went inside. It was childish, spying on her friends, but she needed to make sure. 

“So, she doesn’t remember anything about last night?” Mako was asking, his voice low. He wasn’t the best when it came to whispering.

“Apparently not,” Asami replied, her voice bitter. 

“And you’re not going to tell her?” Mako asked. 

“Why would I do that?” Asami replied. “There’s no point.”

“Asami, she  _ kissed  _ you,” Mako told her. “Are you seriously telling me you don’t care? Especially when you came to me last night to talk about it?”

“Mako, she doesn’t  _ remember _ ,” Asami emphasized. “Besides, how would I even bring that up?”

“Uh, I don’t know, maybe, ‘hey, Korra, you kissed me last night and I was just wondering what that meant?’” Mako stated, his voice raising as he pretended to impersonate Asami. Korra heard him grunt; Asami must have hit him. 

Korra could hear Asami mutter a reply, but she couldn’t make out what she was saying. 

“Asami, just  _ talk  _ to her,” Mako continued. 

“Listen, Mako, if kissing me meant something to her, then she would have remembered,” Asami replied, her voice bitter once more. “Just drop it, okay?” 

Deciding that she heard enough, Korra opened the bathroom door as quietly as she could and slipped inside. Sitting on the toilet, she buried her face in her hands, feeling hot tears beginning to well in the corners of her eyes. 

She was  _ such  _ an idiot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: the situation Korra and Bolin talk about, the one where Korra can no longer drink blue Gatorade because she used too much vodka and then threw it all up later? yeah, that's based on my own experience in college. yellow Gatorade, for the win.


	4. drink a little more

One of the group’s traditions after a night of partying and drinking was hanging out around Mako and Bolin’s apartment watching reruns of old tv shows while attempting to get rid of hangovers. 

Bolin and Opal returned from their breakfast date a little after 9:30 to Mako, Korra, Asami, and Wu all sprawled out on the living floor, waters and coffees in their hands, all of them focused on watching the current episode of “Law and Order: SVU” that was on tv. 

“Seems like you all did a lot,” Opal teased, dropping her purse next to the door and making her way to the living room, dropping on the floor besides Asami. 

“Listen, Opal, we had a night, okay?” Mako commented, leaning up against the loveseat, his empty coffee mug sitting on the floor next to him. “Let us watch ‘Law and Order’ in peace.” 

“Yeah, let the handsome detective solve the crimes,” Wu added, though he was more looking at Mako when he said this and  _ not  _ Elliot Stabler who happened to be on screen at the time.

Bolin collapsed next to Korra, looking up at her. “Feeling any better?”

“Uh, a little,” Korra replied. The pain in her head had finally subsided, plus she was able to eat a little bit of toast that Asami had made for her earlier. “Still, I feel like shit.”

“Hmm,” Bolin said, looking around the room at everyone. 

“Bolin, you have that look on your face,” Mako pointed out, shaking his head. “What are you thinking?”

“Well, the only way to cure a hangover is to drink more, right?” Bolin stated, grinning widely at his brother. “And, no offense to you all, but you all look like shit.”

Mako groaned. “Bolin, that’s such a stupid idea.”

“I’m in,” Korra cut in before she could stop herself. Everyone else looked at her, particularly Asami whose eyebrows furrowed at her. 

“Is that a good idea?” Asami asked her, shaking her head. “I mean, you barely remember last night.”

“I’m an adult, Asami, I can make my own decisions,” Korra retorted, causing Asami to wince in response. 

Next to her, Bolin cleared his throat. “Uh, okaaaaaay. Well, Korra’s in. Anyone else?”

“Bolin,” Mako repeated, grabbing a pillow off the loveseat and tossing it towards his brother. “Seriously, bad idea.” 

“We could have mimosas,” Opal commented innocently, grinning at Bolin who pumped his fist. 

“Yeah! Plus, are any of you planning on being productive today?” Bolin added, raising his eyebrow at his brother. 

“Not I,” Wu said, raising his hand. “I do love me some mimosas. They’re the most breakfasty of breakfast drinks.”

“None of what you just said just made any sense,” Mako shot back at Wu, reaching with his foot to kick him. 

“Plus, if you get too drunk, just stay the night again,” Bolin continued, rolling onto his stomach and army crawling towards the television so that everyone had to look at him. “ _ Please! _ I know we just had one party, but this one can be more intimate! Just the six of us, day drinking and watching ‘Law and Order’!”

“We could make it a drinking game,” Korra offered. Bolin raised his hand to her in high five, which Korra obliged. 

“Take a shot every time someone swoons over Stabler,” Opal teased, grinning widely and elbowing Asami next to her. “Come on, Asami, you’re in, right?”

Asami sighed. “I don’t know, guys. It just doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Asami, come  _ on _ ,” Bolin begged, clasping his hands together and pouting, giving Asami his best polar bear-dog eyes. “ _ Please! _ ”

“Bolin, you do what you want,” Mako stated, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But no one will take care of you if you get sick.”

Bolin jumped up, punching the air as he did. “Yes! Come on, Korra, let’s go!”

Korra put her hand out for Bolin to take; he then pulled her up to a standing position, the two heading to the kitchen together. 

Now, Korra knew this was a bad idea. She saw the way Asami looked over at her when Korra volunteered to participate in the festivities. Not only that, but Korra couldn’t get Mako and Asami’s conversation out of her head. But, maybe, if she drank just  _ a little bit more _ she’ll be able to talk to Asami? 

Korra leaned up against the counter as she watched Bolin open the cabinets and fridge, searching for the appropriate materials to make mimosas or any other concoction someone else might be willing to drink. As he worked, Bolin began humming absentmindedly, seemingly forgetting that Korra was in the room with him.

“Hey, Bolin,” she called, snapping Bolin back to her attention, orange juice in one hand, vodka in another. “Uh, Bolin, that’s not how you make mimosas?”

“I don’t have champagne!” Bolin exclaimed, holding up both bottles. “This will do, though, right?”

Korra shook her. “Not really, no. But I actually… have a question for you.”

Bolin placed both bottles on the counter, turning to face Korra and crossing his arms. “Shoot.”

“Say you do something really stupid when you’re drunk,” Korra started, but Bolin started snickering, playfully wiping away at a fake tear in his eye.

“Ah, story of my life, Korra,” Bolin commented, giving an over dramatic sigh as he did. Korra shot him a dirty look, narrowing her eyes in a way she knew frightened Bolin. “Okay, okay, sorry. Continue, my lady.”

“ _ Anyways _ , say you get really drunk and you’re talking to someone,” Korra explained, feeling her face go hot as Bolin raised an eyebrow at her. “And, well, you think that person is flirting so you make a judgement call and kiss them because you thought they were into that.”

“Korra,” Bolin sighed, shaking his head. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Korra denied. “This is all hypothetical!” 

“Sure it is, but go on,” Bolin stated, rolling his eyes. 

“So, you kiss this person and they kiss you back, but then they pull away and run out of the room,” Korra said. “What would you be thinking right now?”

“Well, if this is hypothetical, you were drunk when you kissed this person, yes?” Bolin waited for Korra to nod, placing a finger to his chin and stroking it thoughtfully. “Okay, so you probably thought they weren’t into it?”

“Right, because they pulled away,” Korra repeated. “So, you’re probably thinking you misread the situation, right?”

“Sure, I guess,” Bolin replied, shrugging. “And then the next morning? How was the other person?”

“Fine, they acted like nothing was wrong,” Korra explained. “Well, they asked if you remembered anything last night, and because you were embarrassed, you lie and say no.”

“Korra, you cannot run away from your problems!” Bolin told her, walking over and placing his hands on Korra’s shoulders, shaking her gently. “Best idea is to admit what happened and talk about it!”

“But what if it’s too late!” Korra exclaimed, pushing Bolin’s hands away from her. “What if she’s mad!”

“Asami doesn’t hold grudges unless provoked, Korra,” Bolin told her, tweaking Korra’s nose.

“I didn’t say -!” Korra started, but Bolin waved his hand.

“Korra, Korra, Korra,” Bolin repeated shaking his head. “It’s painfully obvious who you were referring to.”

“Yeah, well, I overheard her talking with Mako about it and I don’t know what to do,” Korra said. 

“Talk to her,” Bolin said, shaking Korra again. “Just tell her what you told me. I’m sure this is all a big misunderstanding or something. Now, I’m making this vodka and orange juice drink and you are not stopping me. So, either quit whining and help me or get out of my kitchen.”

Korra sighed but got to work helping Bolin mix the drinks, all of which definitely had way too much vodka. She kept trying to tell him this was not a good mixer, but he wouldn’t listen.

Of course, Bolin was right too: Korra should talk to Asami and clear the air. But Asami didn’t say anything, so maybe there was no point. Maybe she should just move on. 

Bolin grabbed a tray from one of the bottom cabinets, getting to work on placing each cup on the tray so that he and Korra would not have to carry the drinks themselves. Korra sighed dramatically, causing Bolin to pause and look at her.

“Stop being a useless bisexual and go talk to the girl you’re in love with,  _ please _ ,” Bolin emphasized. 

“I am  _ not  _ in love with her!” Korra retorted, snorting at the accusation. 

Bolin raised his eyebrows. “Really? Doesn’t look that way to me.”

“Shut up,” Korra told him, feeling herself flush as Bolin chuckled and continued placing the cups on the tray. “Let me have some of those horrid drinks first though. Deal?”

“Fine,” Bolin agreed, picking up the tray and carefully balancing everything. “Follow me.”

Korra followed Bolin out of the kitchen and back into the living room. Opal now laid on her stomach, eyes glued to the television. Wu laid next to her, mumbling in her ear who he thought the killer was, but Opal kept shushing him. Asami and Mako, though, both sat against the loveseat in fervent conversation, but they fell silent when Korra and Bolin made their way in. 

“Well, we had no champagne, so good luck!” Bolin stated, bending down as carefully as possible for Opal and Wu to grab their cups. He then went over to Asami and Mako who both took one as well. 

Asami took a large gulp, gagging as soon as she swallowed. “Oh, Bolin, really? The cheapest vodka you have and orange juice?”

“Hey, we can’t all be rich like you, can we?” he asked her, placing the now empty tray down on the coffee table as he and Korra both grabbed their own cups. 

“Touche,” Asami conceded, placing the cup down next to her and pushing it away. She looked up and made eye contact with Korra, offering her the tiniest smile. 

Korra felt her heart almost jump out of her ribcage. Almost. To avoid any awkward tension, she placed her cup to her lips and chugged. 

“Hey, hey! Leave it for the game!” Bolin told her, causing Korra to stop drinking; luckily, she had only drunk about a quarter of it. 

Still standing, she looked around, trying to figure out where to sit. Bolin settled down next to Opal, leaning over her to talk to Wu. 

“Come on, Korra,” Mako said, calling her over. “Come sit with us.”

“If that’s okay,” Korra commented, walking over to them and settling beside Mako.

Mako elbowed her in the ribs. “Yes, as long as you promise not to drink too much.”

Korra gave him a small smile. “Okay, promise.”

“Yeah?” Asami asked, leaning over Mako to look at Korra, an amused grin on her face. 

“Yes, Asami, I promise,” Korra exclaimed. But, feeling brave, she added, “I’ll watch your pretty head in return.”

Asami turned bright red, immediately turning away from Korra to face the television. Mako chuckled between them, placing an arm around Korra and giving her an affectionate squeeze. 

Soon, the current episode ended and the next one began, Bolin listing off the rules on his fingers, Opal typing them out on her phone just in case. Thus, the game was on. 

Since everyone drank at the same time, it all depended on everyone’s alcohol tolerance, which then led to everyone making bets on who was going to get the most drunk the quickest.

“My money is on Wu,” Mako claimed as everyone took a drink. 

“Aw,  _ babe _ ,” Wu replied, batting his eyelashes at Mako.

“Don’t call me babe,” Mako growled, taking an extra drink. Suddenly, he stood up, looking around the room. “I’ll be back, bathroom.”

He stalked off, drink still in hand. Opal and Bolin paid him no attention, but Wu shrugged before turning back to the show. Korra knew what game Mako was playing though, as did Asami who glanced over at Korra.

“So, you’re willing to risk getting drunk again?” Asami asked Korra quietly, sliding over next to Korra, closing the gap between them. 

“I mean, I guess so,” Korra replied, taking a sip of her drink to avoid looking at Asami. “I have to support Bolin, don’t I?”

“Sure,” Asami agreed, taking a drink as well. “I’m just worried, blacking out two days in a row probably isn’t a good idea, is it?”

Korra sighed. “No, I guess not. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Hey, it happens,” Asami replied, giving Korra a playful shove. “I did say I would take care of you last night.”

“Which I appreciate!” Korra added. “Seriously, you did not have to take care of my drunk ass, but you did!”

“You weren’t that bad,” Asami noted. “You sort of stared a lot though.”

“Wow, embarrassing,” Korra replied, placing a hand to her cheek in embarrassment. 

“Hey, all this vodka and the air in here… want to go on a walk?” Asami asked, raising an eyebrow at Korra. “Get some fresh air?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, okay,” Korra said.

Asami smiled and got up off the floor, offering her hand to Korra. Taking a breath, Korra took Asami’s hand, feeling Asami give it an affectionate squeeze before pulling Korra up. Admittedly, Korra could feel the alcohol’s effects on her senses, but not as badly as last night.

“Hey, where are you two going?” Bolin asked, tearing his eyes away from Olivia Benson and looking at the two girls who made their way across the living room, hand in hand.

“A walk, Bolin,” Asami answered simply, rolling her eyes at him. “Keep up.”

“Who’s going on a walk?” Mako appeared from the hallway, his drink still in his hand as he looked at Korra and Asami.

“We are,” Korra answered, feeling Asami slip her hand out of hers so that she could go ahead and place her cup on the table. 

Mako raised his eyebrows, glancing back and forth between the two girls before smiling. “Okay, have fun.”

“Give me this,” Asami said, grabbing Korra’s cup from her hand. “Hey, Mako, can we borrow some sweatshirts?”

“Korra already has my pants,” Mako answered, climbing over Bolin and smacking his brother’s head. “So, sure.”

Asami grabbed two of Mako’s sweatshirts off the hooks by the front door, tossing one to Korra. While Asami grabbed Mako’s “Republic City Police Department” sweatshirt, Korra was stuck with the bright orange “Fire Ferrets” one. The two girls quickly got their shoes on, waving goodbye to the others before finally heading out of the apartment and into the hallway.

“Think they’ll miss us?” Korra asked as they made their way down the stairs towards the lobby. 

“Nah,” Asami replied, grinning at Korra once more. 

Once outside, Asami looped her arm through Korra’s, bringing the younger girl closer to her. Korra tried not to think too much of it, especially because she was still recuperating from the night before  _ on top  _ of more alcohol in her system. Okay, maybe drinking more was a terrible idea, but the fresh air was helping her.

“So, did you mean it when you said you would watch over me when I was drunk?” Asami teased, bumping her hip to Korra’s.

“Well, I said that, but I think I might have been wrong,” Korra laughed. “Because this might be a little repeat of last night, but not as badly.”

“Will you remember  _ this  _ conversation?” Asami asked innocently, grinning at Korra. 

“Hopefully,” Korra replied softly, trying to match Asami’s energy. 

Asami placed her free hand on Korra’s arm, giving her a tentative squeeze as they continued walking down the sidewalk. 

Bolin and Mako lived towards downtown Republic City, so cars flew back and forth on the street, barely paying attention to two girls taking a stroll. Other apartment buildings towered over them, some placed above small convenient shops and clothing boutiques. Since it was towards the end of winter, right before spring, the air was cool and Korra barely felt the wind nibble her nose. Asami, on the other hand, shivered slightly, causing Korra to laugh.

“Are you cold?” Korra asked her, removing her arm from Asami’s and wrapping it around Asami’s shoulders, pulling Asami into her.

“ _ Yes _ ,” Asami replied, stopping in her steps and burying herself into Korra so that Korra had to wrap her other arm around Asami as well. “How are you always so warm?”

“To be fair, I grew up in the South Pole,” Korra reminded her, tightly holding on to Asami. “So I know how to regulate body temperature.”

Asami wrapped her arms around Korra. “Ugh, so jealous of you right now.”

“Don’t be jealous of me,” Korra told her, shaking her head. “I’m an idiot.”

“No you’re not, Korra,” Asami told her, pulling away from Korra to look her in the eyes. “We all make mistakes, right?”

“Do you even know what I’m referring to?” Korra asked, her hands on Asami’s shoulders. 

Asami smirked. “Yeah, drinking way too much so you black out and then drinking even more the next day because Bolin told you it would cure your hangover.”

“Well, that’s definitely one,” Korra chuckled, placing a hand on Asami’s cheek. “But that’s not what I mean.”

“I see,” Asami replied, placing her hand on Korra’s. “And what did you mean?”

“Asami… I’ve kind of been lying to you all day,” Korra told her, removing her hand from Asami’s face, looking away so that she could not watch Asami’s reaction.

Instead, Asami grabbed Korra’s chin, making it so that Korra could look at her. Korra was just about to open her mouth, just about to apologize for making the biggest mistake of her life, but Asami beat her to it. 

Before she knew it, Asami’s lips were on hers.

_ Oh.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some facts:  
> 1\. I somehow slip in one (1) Law and Order: SVU reference into every modern au I write.   
> 2\. I needed someone to call Korra a useless bisexual in this story, and Bolin was it.  
> 3\. Originally, I was not going to end this chapter like that. But we do not love the italicized "oh".


	5. step five: run dry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a delayed update! Real life caught up to me and I was busy. But here it is, step five! It turned out a lot deeper than I meant for it to be, and it didn't end up going the way I was expecting it to go, but I do like how it ended up. Plus, it's shorter than the rest of the steps, probably because Korra finally figured out how to get her shit together lol
> 
> Maybe I'll do a little epilogue, who knows. Anyways, thank you all again for the kind comments and the kudos!

After getting over the initial shock of feeling Asami pressing her lips against her own, Korra closed her eyes, melting into Asami, allowing Asami to deepen the kiss. Her arms wrapped around Asami’s shoulders, her fingers interlocking behind her neck.

Okay, so maybe Korra  _ was  _ being extremely over dramatic about everything, but who could blame her? According to everyone else, Korra’s had a stupid crush on Asami for awhile now, but how was Korra supposed to figure that out on her own? 

Asami finally released Korra’s chin, slowly pulling her lips away from Korra’s, causing Korra to release an unsuspecting whimper. Asami just smirked as she took a step back away from Korra, one hand still resting on Korra’s hip. 

“So, you were lying to me?” Asami asked, lifting a thin eyebrow at Korra, her smirk widening. 

“Well, uh, I have been,” Korra stammered, releasing Asami and feeling herself flush furiously. “But, well, you know, it seems you picked up on that.”

“Actually, no,” Asami admitted, her cheeks going pink. “I kind of just took a shot in the dark and hoped that kissing you would make you remember what had happened.”

A gust of wind flew by, both girls shivering slightly as it blew past them, stray pieces of hair that could not be controlled by scrunchies blowing in their faces. Asami crossed her arms in front of her, giving Korra a shy grin, scrunching her nose as she did.

“You need to get used to the cold,” Korra teased, poking Asami’s cheek affectionately 

“How about we go somewhere warm to talk?” Asami suggested, shivering once more at another gust of wind. “Though, I kind of want to avoid the apartment if we’re going to talk about… whatever this is.”

Korra nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah, good point. Come on, the park might be good. I can keep you warm.”

“A girl after my own heart,” Asami replied, taking Korra’s hand in hers and pulling Korra towards the park located by Mako and Bolin’s apartment. 

The walk wasn’t very long, and as they walked, Asami laced her fingers through Korra’s, causing Korra’s heart to skip a beat once more. Did Asami even  _ know  _ what she was doing to Korra? 

Actually, it wasn’t really very fair, was it? The reason Korra had kept her feelings for Asami secret is mostly because of their past relationships with Mako. Okay, maybe that wasn’t it, maybe her reasoning went much deeper than that. Maybe Korra was just worried that Asami might never be into her. She was  _ Asami Sato _ , CEO of Future Industries, responsible for most of the cars on the street! She was smart, and fun, and downright sexy when she wanted to be.

And Korra? Well she was just Korra. At least, that’s what Korra kept telling herself. 

Not only that, but Korra had just recently come to terms with her bisexuality, right after she and Mako broke up. She had never realized her feelings for Asami were, well, not feelings of friendship. If Korra struggled to come to terms with her own sexuality, what would that have meant for Asami? For some reason, Korra had just always assumed that Asami’s lingering touches and flirtatious jokes were just part of her personality, just how she communicated.

Bolin was right: Korra  _ was  _ a useless bisexual. 

But to be fair, it seemed like Asami was too. 

Once they reached the park, Asami pulled Korra over to a bench, the two girls settling down together, hands still interlocked. Though as soon as they sat, Asami pulled her hand away from Korra’s.

“Hey,” Korra pouted, trying to playfully grab Asami’s hand again. 

Asami pulled her hand away, scooting away from Korra and laughing. “No, I need you to keep me warm! How am I going to get warmer if you’re just holding my hand?”

“Ah, so you’re using me for my body heat, I get it,” Korra replied, grabbing Asami’s wrist and pulling her towards her. “Well, that changes things doesn’t it?”

“Does it though?” Asami smirked, sitting next to Korra once more, but pressing herself into the younger girl’s side. “Because it  _ might  _ be a win win?”

“Please explain, I’m intrigued,” Korra commented, wrapping her arm around Asami.

“Well, I get to be warm and you get… as many kisses as you want,” Asami bargained, looking up at Korra with a playful grin that almost caused Korra to burst into flames.  _ Almost.  _

“Sounds reasonable,” Korra conceded seriously. “But, uh, we should probably talk about this, right?”

Asami sighed and sat up straight, turning so that she could look at Korra. “Yes, we should.”

“Can I start with I’m sorry for fucking up so badly?” Korra started, shifting slightly so she could see Asami better, pulling her arm back. 

Asami gave her a small smile. “I mean, it wasn’t the worst thing to have happened. But I accept your apology.”

“Why can you forgive me so easily?” 

“Well, it really did hurt at first,” Asami explained, one hand rubbing her opposite arm as she thought. “I just assumed that kissing me didn’t mean anything to you, even though it definitely meant something to me.”

“Can I ask why you pulled away?” Korra watched as Asami took in a deep breath, then nodded slowly.

“I - I was nervous I guess,” Asami told her. “I didn’t expect you to reciprocate my feelings and when you kissed me, I just assumed it was because you were  _ drunk  _ and I didn’t know what to do.”

“That makes sense,” Korra said, placing a hand on Asami’s shoulder. “I just assumed I read the situation incorrectly. I don’t know, my logical brain told me you were flirting, but my drunk brain told me you were being overly nice.”

“Korra, sweetie, I’ve been flirting with you since you and Mako broke up,” Asami said, enunciating each word as clearly as possible. 

Korra flushed. “Well, I  _ might  _ have missed that, then.”

“Clearly,” Asami replied, letting out a small snort that took her by surprise. When she realized what she had done, she threw her hand over her mouth, eyes widening at Korra who just began to snicker.

“I’m not offended, you’re right,” Korra stated, her sides beginning to hurt from laughing so hard. “I just assumed that’s how you talk to everyone, I guess.”

“Seriously?” Asami asked, laughing alongside Korra.

Both girls sat there laughing, hunching over themselves until they couldn’t breathe. Asami’s cheeks were bright red, her nose scrunching every so slightly as she laughed. Korra watched as a stray piece of hair fell in her face, and gave into her urge to push it aside, placing it gently behind Asami’s ear.

“Thanks,” Asami said as Korra removed her hand. 

“Uh, yeah,” Korra replied, placing her hands back on her lap. She looked down at them, away from Asami. “You know, I think most of the reason I just tried to avoid anything with you was because I was still trying to come to terms with my sexuality.” 

“Oh,  _ Korra.”  _ Asami took both of Korra’s hands in her own, gripping them tightly. “I understand completely, really I do.”

“You know, what would my parents think, what would everyone else think,” Korra continued, still avoiding looking at Asami. “Sometimes I even doubted myself, does that make sense?”

“Yes, I completely understand,” Asami repeated, gripping Korra’s hands tighter. “And I guess me mindlessly flirting with you didn’t help, and I’m sorry about that.”

“Asami, that’s not  _ your  _ fault!” Korra exclaimed, finally looking up at Asami and meeting her eyes. “When I finally came out, everyone, especially you, was so supportive. And to be fair, you really didn’t change how you acted around me. You were always just… Asami.”

Asami gave her a small smile. “I guess that’s fair, but still.”

“And you’re just so confident!” Korra continued. “So confident in who you are and what you want. And I’m just...me.”

“I guess I gave myself a little more time to understand who I am as a person,” Asami stated. “And you need to give yourself time to figure out who  _ you  _ are and what  _ you  _ want. Even if it takes, weeks, months, years.”

“I know I want you,” Korra replied quietly, watching as Asami’s green eyes widened, her features softening as one of her hands let go of Korra’s and made its way to her cheek. 

“Is that something you’ve thought about?” Asami asked, her thumb gently stroking Korra’s cheek. 

“A little,” Korra admitted, resting her cheek in Asami’s hand, feeling her eyes droop.

“Sober?” Asami teased, causing Korra to smirk.

“Yes, sober,” Korra replied. “I really am sorry about last night. I guess the anxiety around being surrounded by groups of people plus - I don’t know - being near you when I felt so insecure… I just forced myself to drink through it.”

“You can’t always do that, Korra,” Asami told her, pulling her hand away from Korra’s face. “But, please, it’s okay. Just, promise one thing?”

“Anything.”

“Promise me you’ll be as honest with me as you can?” Asami asked her. “I know sometimes you feel like you need to push people away to be strong, but don’t push me away, Korra. I want to be there for you, for anything.”

“You know I’d do the same for you, right?” Korra asked her, pulling Asami into her once more. 

“Of course,” Asami agreed, resting her head on Korra’s shoulder, snuggling up to her; Korra couldn’t help but notice how well they fit together. 

“So what now?” Korra asked, her head resting on top of Asami’s.

“Well, usually, people tend to go on dates when they want to pursue a relationship,” Asami mentioned with a shrug of her shoulders. “But sitting here on this bench as you warm me up is a good fit, too.”

“Ah, so you  _ are  _ using me for my body heat,” Korra teased again, wrapping her other arm around Asami and squeezing her.

Asami playfully shoved her arm away, turning her head so that she could look up at Korra. “Maybe. But how about this: we head back inside, enjoy the rest of the day with our friends, and then, tonight, me and you get dinner. Just the two of us. Talk about everything and anything.”

“I think I really like that idea,” Korra replied, placing a gentle kiss on Asami’s head. “But I’m not drinking whatever drink Bolin tries to give me. I’ve had too much alcohol the past twenty-four hours. I woke up this morning and the room was spinning.”

Asami started to laugh. “Yes, you need to run dry for the rest of the day.”

“Especially because now I know what to expect,” Korra said softly, pulling in Asami once more. 

“You can always be yourself around me,” Asami replied, resting her head on Korra’s shoulder once more. 

“And you with me,” Korra stated. 

And Korra knew they should get up, go back to Mako and Bolin’s apartment and get back to partying, or drinking, or watching “Law and Order” reruns. But, sitting on the park bench with Asami? Well, that didn’t seem like such a bad idea either.

One thing’s for certain, though: next time there’s a party, Korra’s only going to stick with step one.


End file.
